Her Savior
by lostinneverrland
Summary: Belle is running from her drunken husband; Gaston. She ends up finding herself lost and hurt. Who's going to be her knight in shining armor? Warning!: Smut and language.
1. Chapter 1

Belle just came home with a bag full of groceries and a large bottle of liquor for Gaston. She sighed as she set the bag on the kitchen counter and started to unpack and put them away. She wasn't happy in the relationship. All Gaston had ever been was a drunk, and often abused her when intoxicated. She rubbed a bruise on the side of her arm, shivering from just thinking about his drunken nights. Her head snapped at the sound when she had heard a scream from upstairs. She dropped the glass liquor bottle and ran upstairs, frightened that an intruder was in her home. Belle opened the door to their bedroom, and found Gaston in bed. With another woman. Belle stood at the entrance, angry and hurt at the same time. Hot tears streamed down her face as Gaston turned around, his eyes widening when he realized he had just been caught. She took of the wedding ring and threw it as hard as she could, aiming for his face. She stormed back downstairs as he yelled for her. She ran as fast as she could out of the house, never turning back to even get her car keys.

* * *

Belle kept walking along the side of the road in the rain with no where to go. She took her sleeves into the palms of her hands, wiping away her tears as she muttered curses under her breath. She didn't love Gaston, and now it was obvious the feeling was mutual. A part of her was relieved that the terrible marriage was over now, never having to go back to the drunken bastard. The only problem was, where did she have to go?  
She was looking up at the stars as she walked, not caring if the rain had gotten in her eyes and hopelessly trying to keep her mind off the event. Belle didn't even notice the huge sinkhole in front of her, until she tripped and fell straight in, twisting her ankle. She screamed and cursed as loud as she could. She had managed to crawl out of the sinkhole before collapsing on the sod. She was in the middle of nowhere, God knew how long it would be until someone found her. Belle started crying again, from the pain in her ankle and the pain of Gaston cheating on her. Her entire outfit was soaked now, wet from the rain and dirty from the mud. A hopeful light sparked inside of her while she noticed the lights from the head beams of the car coming down the road. She screamed as loud as she could, desperate for help.

* * *

Mr. Gold was driving down the road in the middle of the night in the pouring rain , just returning from collecting a customer's monthly rent. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught something moving along the side of the road. He didn't pay much attention to it until he heard the screams of a woman screaming bloody murder. He flinched at the sound and pulled over as fast as he could. He took precautionary steps as he opened his door to get out of the car, grabbing his cane as he slid out, careful not to slip on the slick road. He squinted, trying to get a better view of the woman muttering "Thank you, thank you, thank you" in a thick accent. Gold hobbled over to the woman, slowly crouching towards her. "Are you alright, dearie?" She looked up at him with beautiful blue eyes that took his breath away. "I-I fell into this sinkhole, and I- I think I twisted my ankle pretty bad." She replied stuttering with tears running down the side of her face. He felt something almost compelling him to help this girl, and he gave in. He stood up partially and offered her the free hand he wasn't using for his cane. Gold struggled to pull her up and letting her shift all her weight onto him as they worked together to get back to his car. He swung open the passenger's side door, and made sure she was secured. "What's your name?" He asked her as he buckled her seatbelt. She looked up once again with those beautiful blue eyes. With the car providing the light, he realized she was absolutely breath taking. "Belle." She replied softly, almost a whisper. He took a moment to catch his breath before replying with. "Gold, Mr. Gold." She smiled softly. "Thank you so much for helping me, . I don't know what I would have done if you haven't came along." She thanked with her beautiful thick Australian accent. "Oh, not a problem dearie." He returned with a smile. He checked his watch and frowned a little. "Do you have an address that I could drop you off at? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" She looked down while playing with the tatters of her top and it was obvious she was trying to fight back tears. "Um," She replied softly. "I don't have anywhere to go, actually. And no, please don't take me to a hospital." She looked at him with pleading eyes with a hint of fear. What had she been running from?

* * *

Belle couldn't go to a hospital. She knew she couldn't. If she was to, they would have to call her emergency contact, which of course was Gaston. She couldn't go back to that monster. She knew he would make sure he would never let her leave again and punish her. The strange man who had rescued her seem to understand her fear. He looked at her with soft brown eyes and nodded. "I happen to have an emergency kit at my house, if you wish?" He made sure it was okay with her. She nodded, pleased that he didn't force her to a hospital. He closed the door and slid in the driver's seat, turned on the ignition, and drove. She took a deep breath and sighed with relief. She winced at the growing pain in her ankle, but determined not to cry in front of him. She rested her head against the headrest and slowly started to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Gold looked at Belle's sleeping form. He smiled. " _God, she's beautiful", _He thought to himself. He took a quick glance at her ankle which was swelling and bruising pretty quickly.

He pushed the speed limit slightly, hurrying to get home to treat to the ankle before it became a big problem.

He focused on the road lost in his thoughts, and jumped when Belle winced and gave a small cry of pain in her sleep, reminding him that he wasn't alone. Her brows furrowed and muttered something incoherent in her sleep. She swatted at the air besides her arms and legs, bringing attention to her bruises. "NO! GASTON, STOP! PLEASE!" Gold nearly jumped out of his skin and swerved the slightest bit, but enough to wake Belle from her nightmare. She jolted awake, tears streaming down her face and hair a mess from tossing against the seat.

"Are you okay, dearie?" He asked with genuine concern. She gave him a dumbfounded look and nodded her head quickly.

"Yes, ye-yea I'm fine. Thank you." She leaned back in her seat trying to control her breathing.

Gold's curiosity got the better of him, "Who's Gaston?" He asked casually as he focused dead on the road.

Belle held her breath for an instant. How did h-? _"Oh."_ She silently realized that she must have been having nightmares about Gaston again and screaming in her sleep.

She swallowed and replied, "My ex-husband."

Gold looked back at her while raising an eyebrow. "Is he that rat bastard who gave you those bruises?"

She looked down and realized they were visible and made a poor attempt to hide them. She stared at the ground and didn't reply.

Gold put the pieces of the puzzle together pretty quickly and didn't speak the rest of the way to his house. Belle kept her gaze down and forced herself not to take a sneak of her handsome savior. She couldn't resist, and stole one glance. But just to realize he was already staring at her. She quickly averted her gaze and blushed, almost forgetting the throbbing pain in her ankle.

Once he pulled up in the driveway, she managed to hobble her way out of the car, using anything near to stabilize herself. She hopped all the way up to the front door, not wanting to burden Mr. Gold with having to help her when he already uses the aid of a cane. He followed up behind her and unlocked the door.

"I could have helped you, dearie." He turned and gave her a sincere smile. He didn't give her time to answer and walked right inside, standing behind the door allowing Belle to enter while offering her his hand. She didn't want to be rude, so she gripped his hand firmly and hoisted herself up to the door entrance and entered.

He gestured for her to take a seat on the couch while he took off his jacket to his suit and looked for the first-aid kit. Belle plopped down on the couch, trying to make herself comfortable. Gold returned awfully quickly and immediately tended to her wounded ankle. She yelped in pain. She obviously hadn't braced herself for it. She took the end of her sleeve and bit down hard, suppressing the yelps. Before she knew it, it was over.

Belle sighed with relief and gave Gold a smile. "Thank you so much, Mr. Gold. It was very kind of you to help a stranger in need. You know, you aren't like what people make you out to be. And I'm glad."

Gold chuckled to himself. "Well, it was the least I could do." He frowned but decided not to say what was on his mind.

Belle had noticed and tilted her head to the side and giggled a little. "What? What is it?" She asked him.

He frowned and said, " You should get a divorce from that Gaston fellow as soon as you can, dearie." Belle looked to the side and realized he was right.

She took a shaky breath and replied with, "I would. And I really want to. It's just that, -" She stopped short and bit her lip.

Gold looked up and caught her eye. "Just what?" He asked in his thick Scottish accent.

"I-I'm afraid of that man. I'm afraid that if I tried to free myself from that God awful marriage he would try to lay his hands on me again and convince them we had no reason to be divorced.." She trailed off as she fought the tears springing in her eyes.

Gold took her hand in his. "Any man who has put his hands on a woman deserves to be put behind bars or you should at least have a restraining order. I will personally make sure the court does so. I'll do so tonight, if you wish, dearie."

Belle looked up at Mr. Gold with a confused look. "You would do all this, for me? For someone whom you just met?"

"Dearie, I'm not just about to let a man who's abused such a wonderful woman like you get away with it! And while it's true that we have just met, I can tell you are a good person, with a good heart. You don't deserve to be treated that way. And besides, I'm the most powerful man in all of Story Brooke!" He proclaimed with a chuckle and crooked grin. "I can have a restraining order and divorce within the next hour." He promised with a sly grin.

Belle was so grateful and delighted she couldn't help but smile and throw her arms around him, engulfing him in a hug. Gold took a moment to realize what had happened, and slowly hugged her back.

Once Gold pulled away from the hug, he took a look at Belle's outfit and made a face. "Oh, dear. Your outfit is completely ruined. Here, why don't you go ahead and take a shower. I have some night clothes you can borrow, although they may be slightly too large."

Belle looked down and realized he was right. She smiled at him once again and said, "Yea, that would be great. So, um, where is the shower?" She asked taking a guess and pointing upstairs.

Gold confirmed and pointed up and said, "Yes, the second door to the right. Here, let me go get the clothes." He walked over to the closet and grabbed a silk shirt and pants and handed them to Belle along with a towel.

"Thank you." She walked upstairs and cranked up the shower while she could hear Mr. Gold downstairs trying to keep his yelling to a hushed level. She smiled to herself and shook her head. "That man couldn't be more perfect." She whispered to herself.

She stripped down putting the dirty laundry in the sink and hopped in the shower. The warm water felt nice, but the water pressure wasn't so nice to her bruises and ankle that was still throbbing. She suppressed a scream and continued to shower. Once Belle was done, she wrapped the towel around herself and grabbed her clothes and headed into the nearest bedroom; deciding it was too humid to change in the bathroom.

She shut the bedroom door and realized it was Gold's bedroom. He had a nightstand next to his king sized bed and large drapes covering the windows. He had a large dresser with a mirror attached.

Belle stood where she was and dried off.

She bent over drying her hair with the towel and was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Mr. Gold's footsteps up the stairs and opening the door to his bedroom.

Belle wrapped the towel around her head, leaving the rest of her body bare as she stood up and looked into the mirror, into the gaping eyes of Mr. Gold.


	3. Chapter 3

Gold couldn't think. All he knew is one thing; that Belle was standing naked in front of him. She whipped around, removing the towel from her hair and swiftly wrapped it around her body.

"Excuse me, but um, can I continue to dress myself in privacy?" She asked in in a fast breath while her skin turned a dusty rose color; embarrassed.

Gold snapped back to reality after a few moments and nodded his head violently and shut the door as fast as he could. He made his way downstairs desperately trying to keep his mind off from that aside from her bruises she had such a soft creamy color of her perfect skin, the way her perfect- _"Damn!" _He silently cursed himself for thinking about her in such a way.

He originally went to his bedroom to change his pants being that he spilt tea down his whole pant leg. Instead, he grabbed some pajamas from the hall closet and slipped into the bathroom to change.

He still had the court on hold, discussing the restraining order from that wretched Gaston. They were trying to reason with him that his power could only do so much. He had hissed back at them that he owned the town and could fire every last one of them. Eventually, they gave in and had the restraining order issued and said that they would mail a copy to Belle and would warn Gaston tomorrow that if he was anywhere in a 500 foot radius of Belle and she called the cops, he would be arrested on spot.

Gold had some leftover Chinese food in his fridge from last night, and figured Belle may be hungry. He decided to warm it up and set the table along with tea so it was ready when she came downstairs.

Belle finally gathered her courage to go downstairs after she had gotten dressed. She took a few deep breaths, wondering if he would try to bring up what happened. She blushed and felt embarrassed just thinking about his cute surprised face when he walked in. She walked downstairs and sat at the table where Mr. Gold was sitting, sipping his tea.

"Why the sudden change of clothes?" She asked Gold, noticing his pajamas.

"Oh, I spilt some tea on my pants and had to change.. That's sort of the reason why I went up to my bedroom.." He trailed off again, directing his gaze to the floor, obviously embarrassed.

Belle shifted a little in her seat and sipped her tea just a little before her knee involuntarily had a muscle spasm and hit the table hard causing her to yelp and drop the tea cup.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Gold." She said with sincerity as she bent forward to pick the tea cup back up.

Belle groaned a little as she realized the tea cup was damaged. "I'm so sorry, but the cup, it-its chipped." She gestured to the tea cup.

Gold looked at her and very causally said, "It's just a cup." He gave her a soft crooked smile.

Suddenly, there was a loud rasping knock on the door. Mr. Gold stood up while leaning on his cane for support and walked over to the door wondering who could be here at such a late hour. Belle followed after him, curious who the visitor was.

Mr. Gold swung open the door and Belle gasped in fear.

_"Gaston." _


	4. Chapter 4

Mr. Gold immediately tightened his grip on his cane when he realized that this was the son of a bitch responsible for the bruises on Belle's arms and thighs.

Gaston was obviously intoxicated; his hair disheveled and an almost empty bottle of beer in his hand.

"Hey baby, I've missed you. I-I've been" He stopped short to laugh for a second. "I've been walking around town looking for your fine ass. What are you doing in this old guy's house, hm?" Gaston tried to come inside and reach for her, but Mr. Gold stepped forward and pushed him with the tip of his cane.

"Oh, no, _dearie,"_ He put emphasize on the last word to make him seem more intimidating than he already was. "I don't think so."

Gaston looked seriously confused as if he was trying to figure out how Gold pushed him. His mood changed from confused to looking for forgiveness. He pulled out Belle's old ring and tried to hand it back to her, silently asking her to forgive him.

When Belle stepped farther away from Gaston, he growled, throwing the ring at her, throwing the beer bottle behind him and exploded with rage. "Look, BITCH. YOU ARE GOING TO COME TO THE HOUSE WITH ME RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER, WHORE." He raised his hand and tried to get closer to Belle, as if he was going to back-hand her.

Belle involuntarily flinched and retreated another 5 feet and huddled into a corner.

Gold laughed and pushed him harder, almost sending him flying. "You didn't hear me before?" He asked in an intimidatingly thicker Scottish accent.

Gaston sneered and pushed him a little back. "What are you going to do, old man? Beat me with your cane?" He asked with a snicker.

Gold smirked and said, "Any man who would lay his hands on a woman is a despicable excuse for a human being. So, the answer to your question would be, oh, hell yeah."

He raised his cane and struck Gaston hard across his face, leaving a giant red slash.

He stumbled back as if he couldn't process what happened. Gaston reached up and touched the side of his face that was now trickling with blood. Gaston was at least 20 feet away from Gold, and Gaston started to swing at the thin air and then pondering where Mr. Gold went. He spotted him and tried to run towards him, but he ended up falling and slamming face first into the cold concrete of the sidewalk.

Gold walked over to him and bent forward. "Well, that didn't take much." He chuckled softly under his breath. He took his phone out of his pocket and called the police to come and get Gaston. He informed them that he was violating a restraining order and was threating Belle and himself.

After his call, he received another one from Regina. "Hello?" He answered.

"Gold," She sounded hysterical. "Henry, he-he's in the hospital-," She said between sobs. She took a deep breath and continued. "They don't know what's wrong with him. He might die." She sobbed even louder.

"Look, dearie. Dr. Whale is the best doctor in town, if he's taking care of your boy I'm sure he will be just fine. Just give it time." Gold tried to get her to calm down a little bit. "Just breathe."

Regina took a deep breath. "Okay, thank you, I guess. I'll let you know what happens." The call ended.

Mr. Gold liked being on the inside, always knowing what was happening when it happened. He had Regina call him whenever something new happened.

He left Gaston unconscious on the sidewalk. Gold walked back into the house to find Belle huddled in a corner, shaking.

"Belle, it's okay now, love." He said as he gently stroked the side of her arm. "He's outside unconscious, the police are on their way right now to pick him up. He can't hurt you anymore, dear." He gave her a reassuring smile. He silently scolded himself for using terms of endearment like _"love_" and "_dear_" .

oOo

Belle shifted in her spot and looked up to face Gold. She didn't realize how close he already was, and yet there they were. Just inches from each other's faces, breathing each other's air.

Gold swallowed and looked like he was debating on what to do next.

Involuntarily, Belle leaned in closer, tilting her head as she went.

They were just moments from crashing their lips together when the sirens of a police car started wailing.

Gold backed up as far and as fast as he could. He harrumphed and said, "That must be Sherriff Swan to pick up Gaston.." He said in a daze.

Belle stood up and wiped down her pajama bottoms and wiped away her tears.

She crossed her arms over her chest and followed Gold outside to talk to Sherriff Swan.

oOo

**Authors Note: I'm sorry this took so long to be updated! I know it's not much , but I will have chapter 5 up soon. I'm not going to include the talk with Emma (Sherriff Swan), but I will if you want me to! :) Leave a review letting me know what you think. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Belle, Gold, and Sherriff Swan didn't get to talk for long.

Emma told them that Gaston was going to be sent to jail for at least 2 weeks and if he had tried another stunt like that, the sentence would be longer with a greater fine. Sherriff Swan decided to turn the other cheek when she discovered that Gold had beat Gaston with his cane. She told Belle and Gold all that they needed to know before she had to rush down to the hospital when she got a call informing her that Henry was in dire condition.

Belle was still a little on edge after Emma left with Gaston.

She was absently rubbing her arm and walked back inside, careful of her ankle.

She sat down on the couch and greeted Gold with a warm and sincere smile.

"Thank you for all your help, Mr. Gold. I don't know how I could ever thank you enough. I would check into a hotel, but I don't have any money with me right now.. Do you think it would be okay if I could spend the night here, just for tonight?" She asked shyly.

Gold froze. His mind was reeling just trying to process what she had just asked him. Many different scenarios started to go through his mind all at once, and he scolded himself letting himself just think about it.

"O-Of course," He stammered. "But I'm afraid I only have one bedroom. My guest bedroom is filled with my antiques and there's no room.. I can set up a pallet and let you have the bed for the night." He smiled at her before proceeding to gather a bundle of blankets and pillows.

Belle started to object but he just shook his head.

"Nonsense, dearie. I'll be fine, don't worry." He finally managed to gather all that he needed from the hall closet and started to make his way upstairs when he noticed Belle was still sitting on the couch, her mouth still opened just a little as if she wanted to protest but couldn't find the words.

"Well, are you coming?" He chuckled slightly.

Belle blushed a little and nodded and followed behind him.

By the time she had gotten to the bedroom, he had the pallet already set up.

"Really, it's no trouble. I can sleep on the pallet, Mr. Gold. You really don't have to do this for me." She tried to convince him. It didn't work.

He ignored her and got situated himself onto the pallet. "Can you get the light, dearie?"

She sighed and flipped off the switch. Belle made her way towards the bed and lied down.

"_I'm in Mr. Gold's house, in his bedroom, in his bed... But not in bed with him." _She gasped as she realized just what she had thought to herself, and blushed a deep crimson. She was glad that it was dark so Gold couldn't see just how embarrassed she was with herself.

"Everything alright?"

"Yea, just... Just was leaning on my ankle wrong." She lied.

Belle finally fell asleep after she had managed to push all the thoughts of Mr. Gold out of her mind.

_He kissed the nape of her neck, ripping a moan from her mouth. He smiled into her skin and sucked on it a little. She arched her back into him, just wanting to be as close to him as possible. His hand traveled down her back, pulling her close. She managed to get him to look at her, and the breathed the same air for just moments before they couldn't take it anymore and crashed their lips to one another's. He moaned against her as she lightly brushed her fingertips along his back, making her way to his stomach and trailed her fingers along until she reached the button of his pants. She swiftly undid the button and zipper, releasing him and revealing his hard-on. She shimmied out of her underwear, now completely naked. She bared herself to him as he took her all in. He gave her a soft and warm smile and kissed her one last time until he screamed. _

_Screamed? _

Belle woke up from her dream, terribly embarrassed, to Mr. Gold screaming.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she jumped off the bed and ran to Gold's aid.

"I just," He winced as he grabbed his knee. "I accidently hit my knee against this damn wall."

"Here, get up."

"Excuse me?"

"Get up." She repeated. "You're sleeping in the bed."

He opened his mouth in protest, but couldn't manage to say anything without wincing. He sighed and limped over to crawl into the bed.

Belle was just about to crawl onto the pallet when Gold protested.

"No no, you are NOT going to sleep down there, it's dangerous." He said with a hint of humor in his tone.

Belle blushed as she thought back to her dream about being in bed with Gold. She brushed it off and crawled into bed with him.

When she couldn't get comfortable right away, she tossed onto her other side, and didn't realize just how close he was. They stared at each other for just a few moments, faces just inches apart, their eyes doing the talking for them. Within the next instant, he joined their lips together, embracing them. She took her hand and ran it through his hair, bringing him closer to her as she kissed him back. His tongue licked her bottom lip, silently asking for an entrance and she opened for him. Their tongues did a dance, each fighting for dominance as he let a moan escape against her. He pulled away, making her whimper.

"Belle," He hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

His eyes were filled with lust and desire, but they were also filled with love, longing, and control.

Belle answered him by pulling him back into their kiss.

oOo

**Author's note:** **How did you guys enjoy this chapter? :) Warning!: Smut will ensue next chapter! **

**Also, Chapter 6 will be the final chapter. **

**Leave a review letting me know what you think :) **

**{To all those wondering what the call with Regina was about, it will be explained next chapter! :)}**


	6. Chapter 6

**{Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated! My Wi-Fi has been down :/ And have you seen the new OUAT episode? I can't stop crying. This was my first story (And my first attempt at smut) I hope you guys enjoyed it!}**

* * *

Belle knew that on some levels, this was so wrong.

She was in bed, making out with a man whom she's just met. But yet it feels like she's known him for a lifetime. She's heard things about him and seen him just a few times before when he's come to collect money from her father. People say awful things about him, but all that Belle could see was a kind and gentle man. She couldn't explain how, but she felt somewhere deep inside her, that she does know him.

She was brought back from her thoughts when Gold flipped her onto her back and positioned himself on top of her. She giggled a little onto his lips as he unbuttoned her pajama shirt. She untangled her fingers from his hair as she undid his shirt as well and slipped it off his shoulders, throwing it to the ground. He was already working on undoing her bra as she was trying to slide off his pants.

"Already so eager to see me naked again?" Belle teased as she smiled up at him. It was dark, but she could see him giving an embarrassed smile.

He kicked off his pants that were now bundled down around his ankles and returned to kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as she could. She moaned as his lips moved and trailed down her neck and gently sucked at the nape as he continued to remove her bra and pants.

She reached out for his hard member and begun to stroke it, running her hands up and down his shaft. Belle felt him shudder against her and he grabbed her hands.

"Don't want to end the fun before it's even started, now do you dearie?" Gold asked in a hoarse whisper.

She bit her lip as he started to massage her breasts, teasing her by rubbing lightly over one of her nipples. She shuddered and let a soft moan escape. He reached down and begun to suck on it, making her arch her back into him as he flicked the nipple with his tongue.

Gold did the same to the other breast and trailed butterfly kisses along her abdomen and stripped her of her soaking underwear. He smiled to himself and dipped one finger in, teasing her enough to make her beg for more.

"Please, Mr. Gold." She pleaded breathlessly.

He obeyed her wish and slipped himself inside of her, waiting a second to allow her to adjust to him.  
She wrapped her legs around his back, allowing himself more access. With each thrust, her hips thrust with in a rhythm with his. She couldn't hold back her moans of ecstasy as his thrusts became faster, harder, and deeper.

He buried his face into her hair and whispered hoarsely, "Come for me, darling Belle."

She shuddered as she came hard and screamed, "Oh, RUMPLESTILTSKIN."

Gold couldn't hold himself back and came, but stared down at her as he came down from his high.  
She was giving him the same wide-eyed look.

"Belle?" He smiled as he choked back a sob, finally remembering who she truly was.

"Rumple.." She gave him a wide smile and kissed him hard.

"Belle," He asked between kisses. "How..?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. But that doesn't matter now. All that matters is that we are together. And that I love you."

"And I love you, Belle." Rumplestiltskin smiled and kissed her again, but had to part as his phone rang.

"Yes, what is it?" He practically hissed at Regina.

"The curse, it's broken." She said, sobbing. "Henry died, but Emma kissed him and brought him back with True Love's kiss. She broke the curse, and now-" She took a deep breath. "Now everyone has their memories back."

"Well, I wish you good luck. You best hide, dearie." He warned her and hung up.

He lied back down and smiled at Belle as he played with strands of her hair. "My darling Belle.." He muttered to himself, smiling.

She smiled up at him, kissed him, and lied her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep as he continued to stroke her hair.

He kissed her forehead and drifted off to sleep, finally reunited with his true love.

* * *

**Author's Note: I decided that I will have to do another chapter, some things that I had planned couldn't fit into this one. I will update the next chapter as soon as I can! Leave a review letting me know what you thought! (: **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So so so so so so very sorry I haven't updated! The holidays have been crazy, school started back up, and I realized I haven't updated in a month! I am so very sorry! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays, how is 2014 starting out for you? **

* * *

Rumplestiltskin was woken up with a kiss. His eyes flew open to find Belle smiling contently.

"Good morning, my Rumple." She smiled as she traced languid patterns across his chest.

"Good morning, sweetheart." He drew her in for a deep kiss. He wished they could stay like that forever. Relaxing in his bedroom, with no one else in the world but them. Alas, he knew fate wasn't that kind. He had his Belle back, and for that he would be forever grateful. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over him as he remembered how they parted in the Dark Castle. He thought by letting her go, he was setting her free of the monster he believed himself to be. Instead, she ended up with that drunkard for a husband. He should have never let her go. He should have told her how he felt, instead he took the coward's way out and he kicked himself everyday for it.

"Belle, I'm so sorry. I should have never let you go, love. I thought letting you go was a better fate then having to spend forever with a monster like me. I trapped you there with me, and when I realized the feelings I had weren't one-sided, I got scared and took the coward's way out. I thought by setting you free, I was doing both of us a favor. I'm so, so very sorry, sweetheart." He took a moment to press his lips upon her forehead. "I love you so much."

Belle gave a breathy laugh. Had this silly man really thought he trapped her? "You foolish man, Rumple. You never trapped me. In fact, you saved me. That day you came to my father's castle and asked for me, I knew you were my knight in shining armor. Gaston was my betrothed, but it was an arranged married to bring his kingdom in alliance with my fathers. What my father didn't know, was that behind closed doors," She took a shaky breath " Gaston was not a nice man. He would take advantage of me, and afterward he would hit me a few times to make sure I wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone." Belle refused to meet Rumple's gaze as she continued. "I always felt so alone. Then you came along." She smiled to herself as a pale pink rose in her cheeks. "You whisked me away from such a terrible fate, you gave me hope for a better life, even if you didn't know it. You never treated me poorly. You never tried to take advantage of me. I felt as though for the first time in years, I finally had a friend. You were the one to bring light back into my life, Rumplestiltskin. I could see the good in you, your heart is true. You are a good man, and you are most definitely not a monster. A few days after you let me go, I think on some levels I realized that you let me go to be happy, but I was already happy with you. I realized too late, I had already traveled back to my father's kingdom and was ready to tell him what Gaston had been doing, but my father never would listen and turned a blind eye every time I mentioned Gaston's name. All he cared about was setting back up the betrothal and getting us married before the sun set the day I returned. He treated me the same after the curse was set. I suspect he went behind my back all these years and cheated on me, while I was never the wiser. And you showed up, again!" She smiled again and gave another breathy laugh. "You took me, a perfect stranger, into your home and took me away from that horrible marriage. And you managed to save me again. You saved me, Rumplestiltskin, in every way a person can be saved." Finally, her eyes met with his. "I love you so much, more than you'll ever know."

"I will always be here to save you, my darling Belle. You never have to be alone again." He promised and crushed his lips to hers.

Unchecked tears were rolling off of his face, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do today was hold Belle in his arms and let her know everything is okay. And that's exactly what he planned to do.

They spent the rest of the day lying in each other's arms, telling one another how much they missed each other and how much love they felt for one another. He promised to himself he would never let her go again, he regretted his mistake for 28 years. Now, he finally had her back and had no intentions on letting her go.

* * *

_**SEVEN MONTHS LATER**_

Rumplestiltskin fidgeted in his seat at the table set atop the gazebo as he waited for Belle to arrive. He planned a special dinner for their seventh month anniversary, and wanted to make it special. He had old Christmas lights strung across the railing and rose petals strung across the pathway leading up to the table. The dinner was simple enough, it was the meal they shared on their first date; hamburgers and iced tea. He looked down at his hands and twiddled his thumbs. His head shot up as he heard footsteps emerging closer to where he was. He immediately stood up, and his breath caught in his throat when he caught a glimpse of her.

She looked stunning. She wore her chestnut curls atop of her head and left a few strands to cascade around her face. She wore a silver sequin evening gown with a slit going up one leg and the sequins covering all the way down until it thinned out around the bottom. She bit her bottom lip as blushed profusely as he realized how intently he must of been staring at her until he realized his mouth was wide-open.

"Y-You look gorgeous." He managed to stammer out.

Belle gave him a magnificent smile and sat down at the other end of the table, smiling again when she realized what their dinner was. "You remembered."

"Of course, dear. It was one of the best nights of my life, how could I forget?" He smiled. "And I hope to make tonight one of the happiest nights of your life. Well, both of our lives," He fidgeted again, not sure how to continue. "Belle, I love you so very much. I never got to tell you that, sweetheart, you saved me too. You made a man out of a monster, and you taught me how to love. You never have to be alone again, and I never want to let you go. You make me the happiest man in the world," Belle already had tears of joy rolling down her face as she realized what he was doing. He got down on one knee, pulling a small box from his coat pocket. " And if you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way." He smiled through his own tears and opened the box, revealing a silver band with two roses intertwining around the diamond in the middle, with several smaller diamonds in the middle of each rose bud. "Belle, will you marry me?"

Belle threw her arms around his neck and kissed him like her life depended on it. When they both came up for air, she leaned her forehead against his. "Yes, Rumple. Of course I'll marry you. I love you." She drew him in for another kiss, taking this one slow. There was no need for a rush, they had time. They had the rest of their lives.


End file.
